Fiji’s government has announced that military personnel may soon join police in addressing the country’s drug crisis.
Cook Islands Tourism’s transparent, inclusive and practical planning public consultation which explored the challenges and opportunities tourism brings in all areas of wellbeing, drew a good number of community members.
FIJI – Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has issued a warning to foreign developers who plan to do business in the country.
TONGA – Three petitions with over 10,000 signatures calling for the King of Tonga to dissolve parliament and launch an investigation into the government have been presented to the palace in Nuku’alofa.
NAURU – Nauru’s government has rushed through new laws to prevent residents being granted medical transfers based on online recommendations.
FIJI – A Fiji opposition MP says events on the island of Malolo should be a warning to all landowners in the country.
SOLOMON ISLANDS – More than 1000 Solomon Islanders are competing for 200 places in a “work ready pool” which could land them jobs in Australia.
PAPUA NEW GUINA – Papua New Guinea police are still seeking the return of nearly 300 imported cars loaned to officials for driving world leaders around its capital during last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.
TONGA – Some Tongan rugby players would return from Europe “in a heartbeat” to play for a Pacific Super Rugby team, Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu says.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Papua New Guinean government is to ban Facebook for a month in a bid to crack down on “fake users” and study the effects the website is having on the nation’s population.
NEW ZEALAND – Samoans in New Zealand are celebrating their culture and identity as part of annual efforts to encourage more people to be bilingual.
SAMOA – The Salelavalu village council on Samoa’s Savai‘i Island has handed two men to police over a brawl last Saturday with youths from Salelologa village.
TONGA – The Pacific Games Council and Tonga’s Olympic Committee (TASANOC) have lodged a claim for millions of dollars of damages against the Tonga government for its late withdrawal from hosting the 2019 event.
TONGA – Four whales have washed up dead on a remote Pacific island, with witnesses claiming all of the whales had been shot in the head.
PACIFIC – A proposed combined Pacific Islands Super Rugby team has the backing of a number of former players and administrators.
NCD GRAPHIC DESIGN CONTEST LAUNCHED
FRENCH PACIFIC – A leading French Polynesian pro-independence politician has described the French government’s stance towards its Pacific colonies as “schizophrenic”.
Three senior journalists and an opinion writer at the Fiji Times have been found not guilty of charges of sedition by a panel of three assessors.
New Caledonia's Labour Party says it doesn't share the enthusiasm over the visit of the French president Emmanuel Macron's two weeks ago.
New Zealand's associate finance minister has blamed "closely failed states in the Pacific" for his country's drug problems.
French Polynesians - The French Polynesians have a legend about a famine that occurred on the island of Ra’iatea.
“It is about bloody time.” Those are the words a senior figure in New Zealand rugby said when I was investigating the plans to get a Pacific team into the Super Rugby competition.